A man who drugged and raped women in the United Kingdom and China was sentenced to life imprisonment after historical investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
Zhenhao Zou, 28, from Churchyard Row, Elephant and Castle, was sentenced in March 2025 for 28 crimes. These included rape, voyeurism, false imprisonment, possession of extreme pornographic images and possession of drugs aimed at committing sexual crimes.
On Thursday, June 19, Zou received a life imprisonment inside the London crown. It must turn a minimum of 24 years.
The case has been described as one of the most complex investigations ever conducted by MET. A main judge praised detectives for his tireless work to take a dangerous sexual predator before justice.
According to the police, the case reflects their continuous commitment to protect women and girls and address sexual violence, particularly for predatory men.
The man violates the daughter of the 12 -year -old woman in Ondo
After the sentence, the officers paid tribute to the victims, who remained in the center of the investigation from the beginning.
Commander Kevin Southworth, from the Metropolitan Police, said: “In the first place, our thoughts have always been with the brave survivors of the victims of the atrocious and predatory crimes of Zou.
Thanks to the notable efforts of our officers and fiscal, a dangerous and cowardly offender received a life imprisonment.
I hope that the fact that Zou can no longer harm others serves as a small amount of comfort for women who have suffered immensely.
I would also like to take this opportunity to emphasize that our research remains open and we continue appealing to anyone who may think has been the victim of Zou. Please come and speak with our team, we will deal with empathy, kindness and respect. “
Before his arrest in January 2024, Zou was a student at the University College in London. He had studied at the University of Queen's Belfast before that.
He used social networks and dating platforms to attack women, most of whom are believed to be Chinese inheritance. He attracted them to his apartment under the appearance of having a drink or studying.
Once there, he shot their drinks, and when the women lost their conscience, he filmed by violating them.
Police discovered hundreds of these disturbing recordings. Later, the analysis confirmed that he had committed similar crimes in China.
Prosecutors could not identify all women in videos. Instead, they were largely based on the footage to present the case in court.
The researchers compiled more than 4,000 documents. They also examined 6.5 Terabytes of data from Zou devices, including around nine million messages.
Most messages were in simplified Chinese. Detectives translated them to build a timeline and understand their abuse pattern.
The digital workload made it one of the largest cases ever addressed by the MET forensic team.
Zou was convicted of 11 violations, but the police believe there may be more victims.
To avoid risking the trial, no public appeal was made while the procedures were ongoing. A direct appeal was launched in March after the conviction.
Since then, 24 additional women have appeared. A dedicated team is now investigating these reports. More positions are possible, waiting for the review of the Crown Prosecutor's Office.
Detectives continue to attract women from the Chinese student community. Those who met Zou who drugged and violated women between 2019 and 2024 in London or during their time in China is urged to appear.
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